₦airaland Forum

Now that this thread made front page and lots of traffic, I'm sure we've swollen the number book lovers on this nairaland book club.

I'm still reading Americanah. I'm usually a fast reader. I could finish a novel in a day or in days depending on the number of pages. But I guess it's due to my work. I just make sure I squeeze out a little time to read the novel. Nevertheless, I'm making progress. Finished reading chapers three and four.

Chimamanda is now writing a little dirty in the novel, which I like . The part where Ifemelu's aunt was giving her some sex education, especially the line: "let him kiss and touch but not to let him put it inside." What is he putting inside? Don't ask me, ask Chimamanda . Also the part were Ifemelu was yabbing her former boyfriend's kissing, calling it "salivary fumbling" got me laughing too. The romance is building up, although it has not gotten to the "ceiling" yet.

This romance between Ifemelu and Obinze is not in the present though. It's just the author trying to visit the romance between Ifemelu and Obinze in the past. But, like I said in my other post.......Ifemelu and Obinze might re-awaken their love affair. My gut feeling.

"...she sometimes thought of it (her image) as a carapace that kept her safe." Please O, when did carapace became the synonym for armour? Just kidding. Of course from biology, we know that carapace is that hard exoskeleton that crustaceans (eg crabs) have that protects them from predators but as an author, she's authorised to use words at her whims and caprice to the delight of her readers.......myself inclusive. All in all, she's a great author.

Reading continues.

#ForTheLoveOfBooks

peddy231:
Hi, wouldn't mind the pdf copy. ***@yahoo.com. Thanks...

Sent

oluzdreamz:
hi bro,I don't mind getting a copy too, ***@Gmail.com,thanks boss.

Sent

bibijay123:
Loool. High on pepper soup? I think what makes one a good writer has much to do with how you can play with words. Hope to get to that stage someday. Going back to chapter 2.

#ForTheLoveOfBooks

Yea, mee too. Happy reading dear.

#ForTheLoveOfBooks

bibijay123:
I just finished chapter one, i love the way she ejects humour into her work but i think some words are better used in their simpler forms. I also underlined some new words, on a second thought I think it is good she used those grammars because they are educative #ForTheLoveOfBooks

Yea, she sure does have a good sense of humour. The part where she said Obinze became intoxicated (high) by peppersoup in Chaper Two got me laughing. I never knew one could get high with peppersoup . Yea, those grammars are educating. Learnt a few words and figurative expressions thanks to Americannah.

#ForTheLoveOfBooks

Finished Chapter Two (which concludes Part One). I don't want to jump the gun here but I have the feeling the novel will be centred around Ifemelu and Obinze. I'm guessing Obinze will re-awaken the love between both of them despite the fact that he's married to Kosi.......fingers crossed.

Jotted down some words I need to look up in my oldfashioned Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary 7th Ed. (I'm so attached to that dictionary). The words include: gothic, hectoring, melded, eponymous, histrionics, augury, frisson, languorous, colonnaded, sequinned, etc.

I might be tempted to say Americannah has lots of "polysyllabic words" as Femi (a cast in the novel) would say, but all in all I still maintain my position that Chimamanda uses simple day-to-to words.

#ForTheLoveOfBooks

bibijay123:
Thank you!

You welcome dear. Let's take a ride into Chimamanda's world.

Sleekyshuga:
Hahahahahaha... I'm doing riding, and not spilling . Take you time, picture every scene, and you'll be glad you did.

It's an intriguing book.

I'll take my time dear. Thanks for the heads up. And of course......no spilling, just riding !)

Obinoscopy:
Sure

Send me a pm.

Sent @Bibijay123

Sleekyshuga:
@Teespice, thanks for the mention darling..

@Obinoscopy, apt description .. You are in for a jolly ride . For me, Americanah remains her best work.

#ForTheLoveOfBooks..

Really? Wow, guess I'll enjoy this ride. Maybe we'll ride together?

Teespice:
cc: sleekyshuga

Welcome Teespice. Glad you're here

bibijay123:
Hi. please can you send me a PDF of the Americannah?

Cc Obinoscopy

#ForTheLoveofBooks

Sure

Send me a pm.

Guys I've commenced reading Chimamanda's novel, Americanah. Just finished reading Chapter One. Will read the next chapter later today.

This is the first Chimamanda's novel I'm reading. She writes just like Chinua Achebe except, of course, for her use of contemporary words. Her use of simple, easy to understand words is very appealing......just like her mentor Achebe (I'm not even sure he's her mentor but her writing suggests so). Also love the Nigerian characters she used in the novel: Ifemelu, Uju, Ginika, Obinze, Dike, etc. I also noticed they are mostly of the Igbo tribe.

Loved her sense of humour too. That part where she depicted how some African Americans of Anglophone origin made a caricature of the phrase: "I'm like, Oh God, I was so mad" to read "Amma, Oh Gad, Az someh" got me laughing. Reminds me of that Etisalat advert: "Amma tell you son'n (nasalised)." Also the part where Ifemelu had to cast a mocking look at the tattered looking Aisha when she (Aisha) was bragging about her two Igbo boyfriends got me laughing.

Her grammatical construct is okay, although I'll have to read a full more chapters to have a full grasp of it. Her use of words is quite possessive and authoritative. For example, the part where she said Princeton "smelled of nothing" got me wondering. She further compounded my confusion by talking of towns that "smelled of neglect" and towns with "musty scent of history." Her sense of smell must be very deep . Also loved the way she used some seemingly common words for uncommon sentences. For instance, the part where she said the residents "drove with pointed courtesy. " She sure has a strong command of words, I must say.

Finally, I must warn that you must have a very strong imaginative mind lest you get lost in her novel . The way she transits from one stage to other while still centred on a character is very unique. When Ifemelu was on the train bound for Trenton, the author took us to several places which were far distinct from the train but were all centred on Ifemelu and the reason she's on that particular train bound for Trenton.

All in all, I think it's a nice novel. And I'm now obsessed (albiet not compulsively) to finishing it .

#ForTheLoveOfBooks

Obinoscopy:
Ok, send me a pm. I'll take it from there.

@Adaobi12 sent.

Adaobi12:
yes i am. thanks alot.

Ok, send me a pm. I'll take it from there.

calliope:
i have being wanting to constructively criticize that book ever since i read it. what a brilliant idea

#forthelovebooks i got a book as gift today and i am over excited

Ok then. I will commence reading the book and will do a critique/review/discuss on a chapter by chapter basis. Will copy you, kaybams1 and perhaps others.

Which book was that?

#ForTheLoveOfBooks

Adaobi12:
I tried buying from okada books, the app started malfunctioning on my phone. its kinda expensive in the book stores.
Am actually reading Anthill of the savannah by chinua achebe now.

I could send you the pdf copy if you're interested.

kaybams1:
Your added inputs on how to re-structure the thread is nice. Funny enough have not read that novel

I haven't either. Intend purchasing the book. Would love if others would do same so we can all read and discuss.

Adaobi12:
. if it were to be a thread on Kim k or tonto dike, it would have hit the FP. Nigerian youths have lost there reading culture. No wonder we record high rate of failure in Ssce exams.

Lord have mercy.

Hopefully this thread will still make front page. Let it gather steam a bit. I think we need to start up a book discuss/review/critique first.

Perhaps we can start with Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie.What's your view on this?

#ForTheLoveOfBooks

cc: Kaybams1

kaybams1:
Actually I thought it will be a nice idea if every book worm assemble here and suggest amazing books that they've read to other book lovers like them regardless of their disciplines.

If you need books to read that will make you ace your exams in school or generally improve you in a particular skill or topic, you can ask. A book worm will answer you. In the same vein you can suggest books to people. The overriding aim is to help each other become a better version of ourselves through the noble act of reading and researching.

And less I forget, before or after commenting, let us all adopt this hashtag '#fortheloveofbooks'. It will be our identity unique to this specific group. Thanks.

Decided to resurrect this lovely thread. I've always wanted to join a Book Club on nairaland and I guess this is the right thread for it. We need a plan on how to make this Book Club Thread very interactive and resourceful.

However for this thread to achieve its purpose, we need suggestions from nairalanders who are interested in this initiative. I'll tag a few here. Please those I've tagged should tag others (note: only tag those you feel would be interested in this initiative)

Tags:
Caracta, Ujsizzle, Jarus, Omenuko, Mynd44, Jaybee3, Teespice, Ishilove, Missmossy, Tgirl4real, Kingphilip, Missuniverse, Tonyebarcanista, Omenka, Fynestboi, Aisha800, LarrySun, Firestar, Olawalebabs, 1forall, Richiez, Obinnau, Aminat508, Aysuccess99, OAUTemitayo, Emaculate99, Catalyst4real, Abuklaw, ObiZEAL...

These are my suggestions, which are amenable to corrections:
1. We select both soft and hard copies for review/discuss/crtique
2. We have a coordinator who is nominated on a monthly basis
3. We can start with newspaper editorials and articles (for hard copy) and ebooks (for soft copy)
4. Each week the coordinator chooses a new newspaper article/editorial and a new chapter in an ebook for review/discuss/critique
5. Each week, the coordinator picks a "Word of the Week" and "Phrase of the Week" which will be based on the piece under review/discuss/critique
6. We establish house rules (or house etiquette) which will ensure order within the thread. This etiquette should be derived from Nairaland Rules and mustn't contradict it.

More suggestions please. And like I said the suggestions above are amenable to corrections. Please pardon my verbosity, I'm just a bit passionate about this. I hereby declare the floor open and take the backstage.